The Nissan 350z is responsive, handles well and will make enough noise to put a smile on your friend’s face.

But in the same way, it can be well behaved, ride nicely, and be quiet enough to take your mother to the shops.

It’s a driver’s car, through and through.

In this buyer’s guide we’ll tell you the things you should know before buying a Nissan 350z, such as:

the key characteristics of the car,

differences between different model names,

differences between different model years,

common problems,

reliability, and

maintenance costs.

A Brief History

The first Nissan 350z rolled out of the factory in July 2002, to be sold on the Japanese market. Shortly after, buyers in the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere around the world began to take delivery. They were all sold and marketed as a 2003 car.

Known as the Nissan Fairlady Z in Japan, Nissan’s 350z was the next in line of a long history of “Z cars“. The first Z car produced was the “S30” sold as a Nissan Fairlady Z, Nissan 240Z and Datsun 240z in different markets around the world.

Identified by the model code “Z33” (and sometimes called a “Nissan Z33”), Nissan 350z’s were produced right up until 2009 before being taken over by the newer Nissan 370z.

Z cars have long been a favourite with car enthusiasts – both those who can afford to buy new and those who prefer to buy used when they are more affordable. They have been popular to modify, and the 350z is no exception.

Nissan 350z Models & Trim Packages

Though not all models and trim packages were sold in all markets, generally, they were sold in one of the below specs.

There were some special edition models which may be of interest to collectors or investors that are well ahead of the curve.

In this section we show you some of the key features of each model, and give you an easy way to spot which model is which. It’s not uncommon for Nissan 350z owners and car yards to not be aware of the model they are selling.

Do know that these are just basic guides. As Nissan 350z’s have so many interchangeable parts, many dealers made non-official upgrades and many of these upgrades were also done in the years of ownership since buying the car new.

Base

A very well spec’d car for the price, the Base model Nissan 350z missed out on the viscous LSD and traction control. The cloth seats were both not-heated and not-electric. All base models were supplied with 17-inch wheels.

A common complaint of Base model buyers is its lack of cruise control.

How to spot a Base model: Check the steering wheel for cruise control buttons. If there are none, it’s a Base model 350z.

Enthusiast

The Enthusiast model brought with it the traction control, viscous LSD and cruise control that was missing from the Base model.

How to spot an Enthusiast model: Below the steering wheel, check the dashboard for a “TCS” button (traction control). If there is one, but there are no switches for a heated seat, you’re looking at an Enthusiast model 350z.

GT Pack (Grand Touring)

How to spot a car with the GT Pack: If it has a Bose stereo and heated leather seats, but no 18-inch wheels, it is most likely a Nissan 350z with a GT Pack. If it has Rays 18-inch wheels, it’s either a GT Pack with them as an option, or a 350z Touring model.

Track

The Track model came from the factory with Brembo brakes, the front air dam, rear spoiler, cloth seats, 18-inch wheels, and the viscous LSD.

Some interior parts, including the controls and the center console were improved to make them stronger, and in some markets, more cup holders were added. The ignition key hole became illuminated too.

On the outside, Rays 18-inch wheels eventually became standard on all models and the headlight design changed slightly.

Which 350z Model is Best?

A common question. If you aren’t limited by budget, the VQ35HR engine is the nicer one to have, so a car made after 2007 is best.

Depending on which Nissan 350z you want, a cheaper car or one that is better suited to aftermarket mods may be better.

We usually guide 350z buyers to decide which group they are in before choosing the model that is right for them:

If you want a well performing car with plenty of luxury: Seek out a 350z Touring or GT Pack car with 18-inch Rays wheels.

If you want a great base for modifying: Try and find yourself a Base, Enthusiast or Track model car with Brembo brakes. The Brembos are ample for all but the most serious drivers, and the standard cloth seats are way lighter than the leather alternatives. You won’t feel as bad replacing them with a more serious bucket seat anyway.

If you want to buy one to lock in the shed in the hopes it gains value: See if you can find a Nissan Fairlady Z Type E. Good luck!

Common 350z Problems

The VQ35DE Has Been Known to Burn Oil

Not so much of a problem if maintained, but if left – be prepared to say goodbye to your piston rings. It’s not as big of an issue as it sounds, but may be worth checking the oil level when inspecting a potential purchase.

The Exhaust Can Leak

Where the exhaust splits before the catalytic converters is a common place for the exhaust to leak. You should be able to hear this by letting the car idle and having a listen.

This can be a positive for those looking for an excuse to upgrade their 350z’s exhaust, but can be an expensive exercise if you want to replace it stock for stock.

Driveshaft Clicking

A seemingly common problem with Nissans of this era is clicking driveshafts. The good news is, it’s typically a cheap fix. Giving them a service and packing them up with grease usually does the trick.

Quick Synchro Wear

Some MY03-MY06 350z’s had trouble with faster than usual synchro wear. It’s not widespread but is something to think about when taking a 350z for a test drive.

MY07 onwards does not have this problem.

Worn Clutch

The standard clutch will usually go for over 40,000 miles (65,000 kilometers). Though this is pretty good, you can be guaranteed that one day it will need to be replaced.

Replacement 350z clutches are easy to get your hands on but are an expensive exercise in labour. The good news is, you shouldn’t need to do it again for a long time.

Paint Fading and Chipping (Interior and Exterior)

Some colors are worse than others, but many 350z owners have felt their front bumper paint has faded faster than the rest of the paint on their car.

Those doing a lot of highway driving also found that the paint on their front bumper bar has chipped quite quickly.

Nissan budgeted on the interior of the 350z, painting the interior plastic. It’s very common for this to chip off, especially if you live in an a climate that experiences extremes – hot or cold.

Suspension Knocking

Suspension is a high-wear part, but the 350z has managed to get a huge amount of life out of the OEM gear. By 15 years, most Z33 owners have found their car to have needed a new set of bushes.

The standard rubber bushes can be replaced cheaply and easily, and is a good opportunity to upgrade to a polyurethane bushing instead to firm up the handling.

Worn Shock Absorbers

Stock shocks are often feeling a bit worse for wear at this point. When looking to buy a used 350z, check the service log book to see if this has already been done as it could save you a good amount.

Many 350z owners will upgrade to aftermarket suspension when their original shock absorbers die.

Are 350z’s Reliable?

Despite listing some common issues above, 4 out of 8 of these “problems” are typical on any ageing car.

The reality is, the 350z has that same Nissan reliability you’d expect from a Nissan Micra. Problems typically tend to arise from cars that haven’t been well maintained, or have had a very hard life.

Even owners that are honest about taking their Z33 for a “spirited drive” regularly don’t have reliability problems – you’d really need to give yours a hard time to have this trouble.

Are Nissan 350z’s Expensive to Maintain?

More good news. 350z maintenance costs are no higher than a Nissan Maxima unless you choose to make it so.

While many enthusiasts will use high performance oils and service their car on more regular intervals, this is optional. Owners that treat their Nissan 350z like any other car won’t notice particularly expensive servicing costs.

As the 350z shares parts with cars like the Infiniti G35, maintenance costs are very affordable.

This is helped by the fact that the 350z shares parts with a lot of other Nissan models, especially the engine which Nissan used in the Pathfinder, Altima, Maxima, G35, Murano, Stagea, Cefiro, and was also used in Infiniti and Renault models.

Given the current age of the Nissan 350z, replacing its battery and spark plugs as part of a full service is a good idea if you’re buying one second hand right now.

Why Are Nissan 350z so Cheap Then?

350z’s are affordable as they aren’t too complicated. Nissan managed to produce such a well performing car for a very reasonable price by keeping it simple and focusing on what matters.

The Nissan 350z has a simple interior

Take a seat in one and you’ll see – the interior is simple – not in a bad way, but in a “you don’t need any more than this” way. In a similar way to what Toyota did with the 86, the 350z is a true homage to its Fairlady Z heritage; everything that matters, and nothing that doesn’t. Think of the 350z as a muscly Mazda MX-5.

Nissan 350z Buyer’s Guide

We went fairly deep in this 350z buying guide in the hopes it helps you to decide which model and year is right for you.

If you still have questions, please leave us a comment or reach out to us on social media.

@Jase The rubber bushings in the lower control arms bust. It is better to just replace the bushing with aftermarket poly (white line, energy) or solid bushings (SPL) if they haven’t worn to the point of damaging the arm itself.

Just purchased a 03 350z seems I’ll be putting in work about to replace the radiator fan due to it not cutting on” car over heats” cooler o ring gasket “oil leak” both front and back camshaft sensors “just because” crankshaft sensor “trouble cranking on” and door regulator. Both front and rear hood struts and hear a noise from tire while turning assuming “bushings” Just replaced front windshield.

I am the original owner of a 2007 350Z Enthusiast with GT Pack. The car has less than 30,000 miles on it and has been garage kept since I first bought it. She’s my baby. One thing that is a problem with her is the interior. Whatever they used to paint the interior had not held up well. It scratches off with a fingernail and the knobs on the dash for the air have gotten sticky as they’ve gotten older despite very little use. Do you happen to know if there was ever a recall? Any idea the best way to remedy this? Thanks for any ideas you can offer.

I have done a couple things to fix the interior paint: (1) in a couple spots I covered it with a stick – on faux carbon fiber… easy to install, inexpensive, and available in small quantity on ebay and Amazon. (2) black spray paint with a clear coat of satin polyurethane spray paint will produce a very durable surface… existing paint must be clean (no need to remove existing paint, but any imperfections remain visible) .

I bought my ’07 350Z Enthusiast about 4 years ago, after my ’03 350Z Enth. was stolen; and when i bought it, it had 142,00 miles on it. it now has 188,000+ miles and im still loving it! Though I just had to replace the front susp. bushings and a sway bar link, ive also had to replace the valve head gasket due to oil leaking into my spark plug well #4. These are great cars still and worth all the effort, never had a car more fun to drive and im lucky to have it as my daily driver.

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